Game 4 was only seconds old when Angel Pagan sent a line drive hurtling toward the right-field bleachers, where it slammed into the red-clad crowd for a home run. It was shocking, even for the Giants' fans back home, and it was telling. The team that showed up in Cincinnati on Wednesday, handing an 8-3 thrashing to the Reds, chose the brink of crisis for its finest performance.

There may have been more impressive wins during the regular season, but they don't come immediately to mind. None carried the impact of squaring this Division Series at 2-2, a series that began in humiliation during that lost weekend in San Francisco. At the very least, the Giants resurrected their pride and self-worth in this intimate setting along the banks of the Ohio River.

And now they turn to their ace. The Reds are reeling right now, looking decidedly vulnerable, and Matt Cain is in position to finish them off in Thursday's Game 5. As Barry Zito put it, "That's our guy. He's taken us on his back all year. He's the guy we want out there."

So much has changed in the Giants' world since they arrived at the Great American Ball Park. It's a bit reminiscent of 2010, when all three postseason series - Atlanta, Philadelphia and Texas - were clinched on the road. If Tuesday night's 2-1 win was blessed with quirks of good fortune, the encore had the look of virtuosity. That would not include Zito, who nearly pitched the Giants into winter with a wobbly start, but in the wake of the Giants' three home runs, 11 hits overall and an inspired relief performance by Tim Lincecum, Zito was smiling as broadly as anyone.

"It was really cool to see that," he said. "It's just a testament to how much fight our guys have. Our offense was held down for three games, but it was only a matter of time. Today's the day they busted out."

This will be remembered as a signature game for manager Bruce Bochy, whose ever-grinding strategy worked to perfection. He got just enough good work out of reliever George Kontos, turned it over to Jose Mijares for a tense moment in the fourth - two runners on, Giants leading 3-2 - and the left-hander blew away Joey Votto on a third-strike fastball. Bochy then summoned Lincecum, who struck out Ryan Ludwick to end the inning.

"Wonderful," said Pablo Sandoval in describing Lincecum's appearance. "Just so great to see that guy throw the ball like that. Wonderful."

In the great tradition of Three Finger Brown, Smoky Joe Wood and Schoolboy Rowe, here was a fabled starter serving his team in postseason relief. Lincecum seems curiously suited to the task - it takes him about eight pitches to get ready - and he took this game right up to the ninth, when Santiago Casilla applied the finishing touch. That leaves Jeremy Affeldt, Javier Lopez and Sergio Romo all fully rested for Thursday.

The Giants' play was so suffocatingly dominant, the crowd became sullen and occasionally bitter, unleashing some boos during the more unsettling moments. Bochy installed Joaquin Arias at shortstop on a double-switch when Lincecum entered the game, and Arias responded with two searing doubles down the left-field line. Sandoval came up with a double, a sacrifice fly and a towering two-run homer that nearly grazed the right-field foul pole. Gregor Blanco's two-run homer, a shot off Reds starter Mike Leake, left at least a temporary message that left field is in able hands without Melky Cabrera.

"Sometimes you play better when you have nothing to lose," said third-base coach Tim Flannery. "That's something we've got to continue tomorrow. The core players - Buster, Hunter Pence, (Marco) Scutaro - they've all stepped up. They're not looking at playing next week. They're excited about tomorrow, having another day together."

In retrospect, it's worth recalling a couple of scenes before Game 3. Bochy had a brief, what's-there-to-say interview with the Bay Area writers, one of whom wondered if he'd visited a certain Brazilian steak house in downtown Cincinnati.

"No, just took a peek to see if Pablo was in there," said Bochy, breaking up the room. That's the kind of captain you want when the ship encounters high seas.

Not far away, in the interview room, Reds manager Dusty Baker wasn't at all cocky about what looked to be a very safe 2-0 lead in the series. "This last part is the hardest," he said. "You're talking about taking away a team's last breath."